“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.” Genesis 14:18 NIV
Before the king of Sodom met Abram with his subtle offer, Abram had already met with another king, the mysterious Melchizedek. He steps suddenly out of the shadows, ministers to Abram, and just as suddenly disappears from the pages of Scripture, and we never hear another word about him until we come to the 110th Psalm, where David declares that the Messiah to come is made a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Then another thousand years roll by, and in the book of Hebrews we have another extended reference to this strange individual. Who was Melchizedek? The guesses range from Shem, the son of Noah, who, according to some chronologists, could have still been alive at this time, to an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ in human form. All we are positively told of him is that he is the king of Salem, which afterwards became Jerusalem, and that he is the priest of the Most High God. His own name means “king of righteousness.” He appears suddenly in the Scriptural record without any mention of his father or mother, no birth date, and no subsequent account of his death. These omissions from the record are seized upon by the writer of Hebrews to indicate that since we have no record of his genealogy, this man is a type of the eternal priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ who, in actuality, has no beginning nor ending of days, who forever lives to make intercession for all those who come unto the Lord by him. Thus, the Melchizedek priesthood is a ministry of help to those who face a time of trouble.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, thank You for always praying for us, not just in troubled times.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord Jesus, we praise You who has no beginning nor ending of days, but forever lives to make intercession for us who come unto the Father. Helping us who are facing a time of trouble. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Romans 7:14-25
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